Golf At Woodlands Glencoe
Woodlands Golf Course, formally The Dragon’s Tooth Golf Course, is an award-winning 9-hole golf course located near Glencoe in The Scottish Highlands.
The course is open to all and offers spectacular scenery and wonderful playing conditions year-round.
It’s not just the location that is special (and this must surely be one of the most dramatic and beautiful loch-side locations in the Highlands), the course itself offers delight, magic and challenge.
- Best 9-hole golf course in Scotland - Bunkered Magazine
- Top 50 9-hole golf courses in the world - Golf.com
Visitors Pay & Play
We welcome visitors of all abilities, and no handicap certificate is required to play our course.
Our wonderful rural location means that there’s no need to book a tee time – just turn up and play whenever suits! It does help hugely if you can pay for your round before arrival though.
Players are encouraged to use our digital scorecard and golf course map.
Green Fees
- Adult (16+) £24.00
- Senior (65+) £18.00
- Junior (-15) £12.00
Equipment Hire
- Club Hire £8.00
- Trolley Rental £3.00
- Electric Golf Cart £25.00
Membership
We value the friendship and support of many members, both local and from further afield.
Our membership boasts a diverse mix of men & women who either live in the area, or are regular holidaymakers to Glencoe & Ballachulish. New members are always warmly welcomed and can be promised spectacular golf that proves amazing value for money compared to many courses.
Full members of our other local courses – Fort William and Oban Glencruitten – can also benefit from a vastly discounted “2nd Membership” and we also have a special membership available for members of our local emergency services.
Click below to print out a membership form for 2021 or email [email protected] for more information.
Corporate Memberships
Corporate members have a first-class convenient environment to entertain, discuss or negotiate with colleagues, clients or employees. The environment is relaxed, spacious and green, away from the pressures of the workplace.
Our corporate members can enjoy all of the benefits that The Woodlands Golf Course has to offer, including the amenities of the Clubhouse, Golf Course, and Practice Facilities.
Course Overview
A great opener par four. An accurate tee shot is required as a shot left of centre will result in the path to the green being hampered by a mature Lime just off the fairway. The second shot is not easy either as the elevated green sits guarded by two well placed bunkers and a water hazard just off the back.
The signature hole. A classic par three and it’s so pleasing to the eye from the tee. Going for glory to the green can be hampered by a burn running from left to right in front of green; to the left mature trees and a hidden bunker just behind . To the right a mature old oak overhangs the green. All this and the forward sloping green sits on a naturally elevated rock formation. Good luck!
From an elevated tee this short, par four may tempt the long hitter to go for the hidden green. However, mature trees to the left will punish a low drive. The green sits low down, guarded by two deep bunkers.
Teeing off on the edge of Loch Linnhe looking up towards the Dragon’s Tooth mountain – not many other tees can offer such a striking all round view. A sliced shot off this tee could land you in the wet stuff. Avoiding the water, the wide uphill fairway is hazardless to the undulating green and guarded by a sole pot bunker.
This is a short par four with a slight dog leg to the left. The fairway is split by a pond and overflow burn .The green sits down-hill for second shot; it is protected by a bunker on the left and small pond to the right.
Starting from an elevated tee, this par four hole has a narrow fairway that dog-legs to the right. Further to the right, the hole is bordered by mature trees and there is very little view of green until you’re on it .
Short par three, looking on to the Pap of Glencoe in the distance, with a slight uphill green that is protected by two pot bunkers, one at the front and one at the left. Landing on the green may not guarantee the sand wedge staying in the bag!
The eight is all down, with a double dog leg left then right. Mature trees follow this par five all the way to the green alongside the burn on the right hand side. The green is protected by large bunker at the front and river directly behind. Tricky.
Another classic par three for the last hole. From an elevated tee looking back towards the Club House, this shot is threaded through a tunnel of mature trees over a burn and road to a two tee green guarded by a front facing deep bunker. Golf shots don’t come much better.
Golf Course History
Woodlands Glencoe sits at “Glenn a` Chadias” (Glen at the narrow crossing) and for many decades the land was used for grazing cattle.
The golf course was the brainchild of the farm owners at the time, Ronnie and Joan MacLaughlin, along with their son Fraser. They appointed the well known Golf Course Architect Robin Hiseman who now practices his art in the harsh conditions of the Dubai Desert, a world apart from the lush conditions of the Highlands and the West Coast of Scotland. Robin was astounded by the superb setting at Ballachulish, and used his skills to create a course that is as challenging as it is beautiful.
It was Fraser MacLaughlin who put in so much hard work and devotion to creating the course, supported by his wife Lorraine and their young family. Andrew Burnett of Greenstaff Services provided much of the technical expertise and the skilled manpower that converted fields to fairways and the quality of the course today pays tribute to the craftsmanship of the construction.
After much work, “The Dragon’s Tooth Golf Course” (now Woodlands Glencoe) was opened on the 8th of June 2002 by Scottish Rugby Star Rob Wainwright.
The golf course surrounds Ballachulish House – a 250 year old country house which has chilling connections with the Glencoe massacre (1692) as well as the Appin Murder (1752) and the mystery of the Red Fox. For much of the last decade a country house hotel, the house is now a private home.
The whole area is steeped in Scottish history. The course also ‘hides’ part of this in the form of a Pictish burial site which has remained remarkably well intact and preserved. Golf course construction took into account this ancient burial site which was left untouched and the surrounding lay of the course means that it goes largely unnoticed by golfers. Indeed, it’s hidden from most, and you won’t find it listed anywhere!
Head Greenkeeper through to January 2021 was Jonny Henshall. He achieved so much in maintaining and developing the course from joining in November 2014. His passion, enthusiasm and hard work leave their mark and both members and visitors alike comment on how the course just gets better and better. Just this year the course was ranked among the top 50 9-holes in the world! Jonny’s predecessor David Lawrence spent 4 years nurturing the course up to the Autumn of 2014: the current calibre of the fairways, greens and tees has much to do with his professionalism and skills over many months of sheer grind and commitment.
